Fabric take-up device for knitting machines



Aug. 10, 1948. HAEHNEL 2,446,875

FABRIC TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 7, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F '1 EE- E.

J 1 I 9 v 8 i0 7 36 Au I Jig-E Z7 0, 1948. H. E. HAEHNEL 2,446,875

FABRIC TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April '7, 1945 ,2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. l0, 1948 FABRIC TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES Herbert Erich Haehnel, West Reading, Pa., as-

signor to Textile Machine Works, Wyomissmg, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 7, 1945, Serial No. 587,047

Claims.

The present invention relates in general to fabric draw-off means of the strap and reel type and more particularly to fabric reels having substantally cylindrical shells and having the associated straps attached to said shells in such manner as to provide a smooth exterior surface.

In the flat knitting art it is common to apply a draw-01f tension to fabric being knitted by means of straps connected at their one ends to take-up devices or reels fixed to a revolving shaft and at their other ends to welt or hook-up bars or to welt rods or wires held in folds in the fabric. Said reels are commonly mad-e hollow and the connection between a strap and a reel has been made by a catch or anchor member on the strap adapted to be inserted into the interior of the reel through slots in the hollow shell. In fabric draw-oil arrangements of the type just described, difficulty frequently develops due to the straps and their anchoring members working into the reel so far when the straps are loose that the anchor members sometimes slip past the shaft to the side thereof farther removed from said slots and then, due to twist in the straps, catch on the shaft with the result that the straps become too short for engagement to said welt bar or rod. It is therefore necessary to manipulate the straps until they are again in position to be attached to said welt bar or rod which results in a considerable loss of time.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fabric draw-off arrangement in which the strap anchoring means is held in its normal welt bar or welt rod attaching position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reel for a fabric draw-off means which shall at all times insure the correct and positive relationship between the strap, its anchoring means and the reel.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the present invention resides in the novel elements, features of construction and arrangement of parts in cooperative relationship as hereinaiter more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a single knitting section of a full-fashioned knitting machine hav ing a preferred form of the novel fabric drawoff means applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially 2 on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 3 -3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a portion of Fig. 3, parts being omitted for purposes of illustration Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 4 showing a portion of a strap operatively connected thereto and in a position in which it may appear in use;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 of a modified form of the invention but with the strap portion omitted;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 'l-l of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 8 is a. sectional view similar to a portion of Fig. 3 of a further form of the invention.

In the drawings and description, only the means necessary to a complete understanding of the invention have been specifically set forth; further information as to the construction and operation of other related, usual and well known knitting machine elements, mechanisms, etc., may be found in one or more of the following publications 1. Pamphlet entitled Full-Fashioned Knitting Machines, published and copyrighted by the Textile Machine Works, Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1920.

2. Three catalogs entitled The Reading Full-Fashioned Knitting Machine Parts Catalog," published and copyrighted by the Textile Machine Works, in 1929, 1935 and 1940, respectively.

3. Booklet entitled The Reading High-Production Full-Fashioned Knitting Machine," which forms a supplement to the above noted 1940 parts catalog of the Textile Machine Works, and which booklet is a publication of the Textile Machine Works, and was copyrighted by the latter in 1940.

4. Pamphlet entitled Knitting Machine Lectures, published by the Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute, Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, in 1935.

A fabric draw-oif means within the present invention comprises a reel mounted to revolve but yieldingly driven and adapted to be releasably connected to one end of a strap or straps for line of the shell. The shaft is driven by a spring or weight means so that it can apply a constant but yielding tension to the fabric, which as is well understood in the art of knitting, aids in the production of uniform fabric. The shell is so constructed that a catch or anchor member on a strap can be releasably attached thereto. A reel within the invention is provided with means whereby the catch or anchor member is prevented from working interiorly of the reel and engaging the shaft of the reel.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings is shown a flat or straight knitting section typical of a fullfashioned legger or single unit knitting machine having a row of substantially vertical spring beard needles I actuated by mechanism not shown which is mounted on a framework of which a front bed or table II forms a part. For hooking up the loops of the first course of a fabric, a welt bar I2 is employed. Bar I2 has a row of substantially horizontal welt hooks I3 which are engaged with the loops of the first course. The bar I2 is then drawn forward by the fabric draw-off means as a certain length of fabric is knitted and the fabric is then turned to form a two ply welt section of a stocking, the bar I2 being thereafter relieved of draw-off tension. At or before the time of turning the welt, a welt rod or wire I4 is placed on the fabric and inserted in a fold thereof, the fabric then being drawn off as knitted by tension applied to wire I4.

In the arrangement, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, parts of a well known mechanical means is used for running the welt bar into position for hooking up the first course and forms no part of the present invention. Therefore, this mechanical means will be only generally described to show its correlation with the means forming the present invention as hereinafter set forth. The bar I2 has plates I6 at its ends adapted to slide on flat shelflike surfaces I! on rails I5, the bar I2 being also provided with resilient members I8 for the purpose of receiving a thrust from a pusher means. As shown, said pusher means includes pins I9 fixed transversely of arms 26 at the ends thereof and extending on both sides of arms 26 so that they not only contact the resilient members I8 to thereby transmit a thrust to bar I2 but also ride on surfacesv I! to support themselves and the free ends of arms at the proper level. At their ends oppositepins I9, arms 20 are pivoted at the ends of levers 2I which are fixed on a shaft 22. By turning shaft 22 counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 2, pins I9 are caused to run from the position shown in Figs. 1- and 2 along the surfaces I! of rails I5. toward the needle row. As the thrust of arms 28 may be upward at times, rails I5 are extended above the level of shelves I1 and have grooves 39 into which the outer ends of pins I9 extend so as to hold the pins in position to thrust against the loops in members I 8. Suitable means not shown is provided for turning shaft 22 so that hooks I3 are moved into position for receiving theloops of the first course.

The machine then draws the loops onto the hooks I3 and the knitting of the welt is proceeded with while the loops of the first course are held on said hooks. During the time of knitting the first part of the welt, draw-ofi' tension is applied to bar I2 by means of a strap 23. arranged centrally of the knitting section. At its rearend, the one toward the needle row, strap 23 has a hook 24 attached thereto which engages a metal loop 25 fixed to the forward edge of bar I2. At its other or forward end, strap 23 is attached to a cylindrical shell 26 forming part of a reel 21 which includes a shaft 28 on which shell 26 is fixed. The arrangement or means shown for attaching strap 23 to shell 26 is such that the strap may be readily connected and readily disconnected when desired but is proof against accidental release of the strap from the reel in use. Said attaching or connecting means will be described more in detail hereinbelow. As shown, the shell 26 has a smooth cylindrical surface and shaft 28 is coaxial with the shell 26. As the bar I2 is needed for drawing off fabric for only a comparatively short length thereof, the fabric is never wound on shell 26, and, after the welt has been turned, the strap, 23 is disengaged from the bar I2, the hooks I 3; are disconnected from the fabric and the bar I2 placed so that looped members I8 contact with pins I9, th pins having in the meantimebeen withdrawn to the position in Figs. 1 and 2, and the straps 23 again attached to the bar I2 in readiness for another hooking up operation.

The welt is commonly turned by hand. It has, however, become somewhat popular to turn the welt mechanically instead of by hand, and the bar I2, shaft 22, levers 2|, arms 26 and pins I9 may, through mechanical power actuators, and other means also in said machines be used for welt turning purposes. In either the hand or the mechanical method, a welt wire is commonly placed over the fabric before the full length of the welt has been knitted. At a certain point in forming the welt the arms 28 and pins I9 are again advanced to engage the bar I2 and at this time 7 draw-off tension is applied to the welt wire I4 by attaching a hook 29, connected to a strap 30, to each end of said welt wire. Draw-off tension is applied to hooks 29 by means of straps 36 which are connected to a relatively long cylindrical shell 3| forming part of a reel 32 fixed to a shaft 33 which is turned by well known weight or spring means to wind first straps 38 and then the fabric on the shell 3I.

The reels 2'! and 32 of which shells 26 and. 3|

form portions are completed in the form shown slots 40 and 4| substantially at right angles to each other, one being longitudinal and one circumferential of the shell. Slots 40 and 4I permit the anchor member of the form herein shown to be passed from the exterior to the interior of the reel shell and turned to a position in which the head portion 42 of the T anchor, which is wider than slot 46, is held against the interior surface of the shell by tension on the strap. In prior known constructions, a strap, when relaxed, sometimes permits the anchor member 36 attached thereto to move into the shell 26 far enough to lie on the other side of the shaft 28,

or 33 from the slots. In this case, due sometimes to twisting of the strap, the anchor member may become lodged behind the shaft and require considerable effort on the part of the operator to manipulate the strap to the position in which it may be attached to the welt bar.

To overcome this undesirable condition, a guard or shield means is provided on the shell to prevent or limit ingress of the anchor members beyond that position necessary only to permit assembly of the strap and reel. As shown, the guard means is in the form of a strip fixed at both ends to the shell 28 and arranged to lie interiorly of the reel shell between its inner face and the shaft in position directly in line with the slot 4|. Several forms of guard or shield means are shown in the drawing. In Figs. 4 and 5, the guard means comprises a, strip 43 integral with and reversely curved with respect to the shell, strip 43 being in the plane which extends through slot 4| substantially at right angles to the axis of the cylinder and subtending the slotted portion of the shell. In the form of guard means shown in Figs. 6 and 7, a, strip 44 similar in form and position to the strip 43 of Figs, 3 and 4, is originally separate from the shell instead of integral therewith, the ends of the strip 44 being fastened to the inner face of the shell by means of spot welding as indicated at 45, Fig. 7. A further form of guard construction is shown in Fig. 8, in which portions of the shell 26 are bent inwardly to form shelf portions 46. The ends of the shelf portions 46 are separated to form a slot 41' to permit the stem portion 31 to pass 'therethrough when inserting the anchor member 36 into the shell 26. These guard strips may, of course, be fixed to the shell in various ways as by brazing or soldering, the primary object thereof being to relatively detachably fix the anchor end of the straps to the shell of the reel and at the same time provide means limiting the inward movement of such anchor members within the reel shell.

The straps 30 are also provided with anchor members 36 which are constructed the same as the anchor member 36 attached to the strap 23. Further, the reel shell 3| is provided with slots the same as in shell 26 and any one of the guard or shield means 43, 44 or 46, as desired.

Of course, the improvements specifically shown and described by which I obtain the above results can be changed and modified in various ways without departing from the invention herein disclosed and hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. A take-up device for straight knitting machines comprising a shaft, a reel member mounted coaxially on said shaft, a strap having anchoring means, said reel member having slot means therein for permitting insertion and release of said anchoring means, and shielding means for said anchoring means intermediate said slot means and said shaft, said shielding means being formed integrally with said reel member.

2. A take-up reel for a fiat knitting machine comprising a shell provided with a slot arrangement adapted to receive an anchor for a drawofi strap and including crossed elongated apertures, and a shield means within the shell of the same width as one of said apertures and integral with the shell at the ends of said one aperture.

3. A take-up reel for a flat knitting machine comprising a shell provided with a slot arrangement adapted to receive an anchor for a drawofE strap and including crossed elongated apertures, and a shield means within the shell of the same width as one of said apertures and integral with the shell at the ends of said one aperture, and having a gap therein adapted to receive a portion of the anchor.

4. A take-up reel for a fiat knitting machine comprising a shell provided with a slot arrangement adapted to receive an anchor for a drawofi strap and including crossed elongated apertures, and a shield means within the shell for limiting the movement of the anchor toward the center of the shell and having a gap therein adapted to receive a portion of the anchor.

5. A take-up reel for a flat knitting machine comprising a shell provided with a slot arrangement adapted to receive an anchor for a drawofi strap and including crossed elongated apertures, and a. shield means integral with the shell for limiting the movement of the anchor toward the center of the shell and having a gap therein to receive a portion of the anchor.

HERBERT ERICH HAEHNEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 869,892 Gay Nov. 5, 1907 1,498,133 Swem June 17, 1924 1,662,678 Judson Mar. 13, 1928 1,807,582 Brown June 2, 1931 2,295,512 Bitzer Sept. 8, 1942 

